The Niigata Albirex BB and Saitama Broncos broke away from the JBL to form the bj-league along with a quartet of new teams -- Sendai 89ers, Oita HeatDevils, Tokyo Apache and Osaka Evessa -- for the 2005-06 season.

What the Albirex and Broncos have accomplished since that time occupy different spots on the performance chart.

Niigata has been a perennial playoff contender, including a championship runnerup spot in the inaugural seasonand a Final Four appearance last week, among three other trips (2006-07, 2009-10, 2010-11) to the league's final weekend of playoff action. The Albirex have a 219-162 regular-season record and finished above .500 five times. Their worst season? Finishing four games below .500 (24-28, in 2008-09).

Saitamahas never had a winning season since switching allegiances from the JBL to the bj-league, and never reached the playoffs. This is stunning in a league that has added new teams every year. The Broncos have a 124-246 overall record, with 33 or more losses in five of those eight seasons, including a disastrous 15-37 record this season. No coach has lasted more than once season other than David Benoit, who held the post for the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons.